Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles Offhand shooting at big game...

I think Ive shot a grand total of 6 unwounded animals off hand in my life. That said when I PRACTICE ( not just working up loads at the range..) it is ALL offhand. I found out long ago to use any rest available, but when you are used to shooting offhand , any rest seems luxurious. My farthest offhand shot taken was at a bear at 100 yds. I guess Im not too comfortable with an offhand shot farther than that.

Up until a few years ago we guided whitetail hunts on some of our property. I requested that everyone who hunted with us to shoot at our range so I could access their ability. Very few could hit a milk jug freehand at a 100yds, some couldn't hit a milk jug using a rest. Being able to hit what your shooting at is the only thing that the hunter has 100% control over. I usually don't shoot freehand unless it's a moving target.

Time to get my waders out for this thread. So far we have 2 or 3 pages of people claiming most of their shots are offhand. One is even claiming a 350 yard offhand shot on purpose. 💩 sure is getting deep in here.
Offhand shots at reasonable distance of course , but 350 yards offhand repeatable on purpose? 😂 😂 😂

I carry a monopod shooting stick and use it for standing and seated shots which I limit to 100 yds.. I mainly hunt whitetails in the woods where most shots are 100 yds. or less.

I have killed several deer off hand. I try to avoid it. If I think there is a chance that I may have no choice, I take a monopod shooting stick with me.

You can always tell a flat-brim by how many bipods he has bolted onto his **hunting rifle**.

People need to practice real shooting and less bench style hunting.

I just typed out a well thought out (if I do say so myself) response and somehow lost it. So if it magically reappears - sorry bout that.
In fifty years of deer hunting, I have shot quite a few deer.

The most helpful training for off hand shooting for me was probably silhouette shooting.

I have used .243 Winchester, 30-06, .270 Winchester, and .338 Win. Mag. to name a few. I think the 30-06 worked the best, probably because I restocked it and worked on the stock until it came up perfectly for me.

Although I also will take advantage of a rest, I have used the previously mentioned rifles successfully on freestanding shots.

My favorite memory is when when I made a good shot on a running buck and made him slide forward in the fresh snow. With the Mauser 98, 30-06.

Most of those running shots were from about 60 to about 100 yards, maybe a little less.

My favorite hunting scope is a Leupold 1.5-5, VariX lll. Usually left on 1.5. I had an older M8 4X but gave that to my son with a .270 JC Higgins. Loved that gun as well.

I’m wondering if that rifle is named old tree fiddy? 😂

I mostly still hunt. In thick cover or the edges of thick cover.

I'd have to guess most my deer were shot off hand and moving.

-Jake

For me, knowing I may have to take an off-hand shot has no influence on what rifle, sight or cartridge I carry. It was already mentioned but no matter what you carry, if the crosshairs/bead/post never leaves the vitals once the excitement kicks in, squeeze. You have to know your cartridge limitations too. I think all would agree that gaining that comfort level all comes down to practice, practice, practice. I don't carry 24x target scopes into the thicks, but I'm sure there are some out there that do great things with such a set-up. Again, it all comes down to practicing with your gear.

I grew up in the fields and have been taking off-hand shots since I was maybe 7 - this was almost a daily thing. Most of this was lizards with an old Crossman BB gun (that I still have), but I would also pop in-flight carpenter bees hovering around the pepper trees with my old Red Ryder (which I wish I still had). If you do that enough, rabbits off-hand out to 50 yards gets a lot easier. Shooting big game is easier still as long as you can control your nerves and buck fever!

The 💩 is getting deeper with each post! Now they’re are shooting bees out of the air with BB guns. This place is great 😂😂

I'll play. I have shot several offhand over a lot of years. Having said that I like sticks or any improvised rest that is available and upright completely offhand is IMO never the "best" option but is sometimes necessary and definitely doable. I think some of the best practice contributing to hitting offhand for me has been many years of squirrel hunting (which I still do and enjoy as much as any hunting).

99% of the time my shots are off hand.

Are y’all hunting on the wide open plains? I take offhand shots when necessary, especially birds, small game etc. However in the woods especially when deer hunting there’s usually a tree, bush, grapevine, large rock or something to take a rest off of.

Sounds funny when you put it that way! True story none-the-less. Good thing I had a compass in the stock!!

This

And why take a rest for a 50 yard shot? I know I'm going to hit it in the boiler room

Back in late '95 I was preparing for a trip to South Africa. My main rifle was a Mod 700 Classic 35 Whelan reamed out to the Ackley version. Decelerator pad, trigger adjust down to 2 3/4#. I had loaded up 100rds of new 35 Whelan brass with fireforming loads of H4895 and Speer 220 seated into the lands. My main hunting round was the original 250X going about 2550-2600, set +1" at 100. I had Mondays off then, and the rifle range then was only 4 miles from my home. I would shoot 50rds of 22 Magnum from a 3x9 scoped Marlin 783 (trigger was slicked up to also 2 3/4#. Then I would shoot 20 rds of fireforming loads. I used a 100yd target. I started out with an 8" Shoot N See (or whatever it was back then, ha) and on week three I went to a six inch S&S. All from hunting positions. About 70% was offhand. It sure came in handy. In May of '96 I shot a Blue Wildebeest at 45yds running, a standing Red Hartebeest at 75yds, an Oryx at 30yds, all off hand. I shot a Kudu about 110yds from kneeling on one knee, and a zebra running at 125yds offhand. I used a friends 300WM and 375 H&H for Impala, Blesbuk, warthog, one from shooting sticks rest offhand. All under 100yds.
I grew up shooting a 22 rifle small game and pest shooting. Lots of practice. I've shot many more head of game, offhand, but don't want to be called a liar ( like it matters, ha) I just wanted to show what practice looks like for me.
Another thing, even offhand, game is "moving", targets are not, of course. If a guy can do some Prairie Dog shooting or small game/pest shooting, it will teach you how to be a good "game shot". Taking your time in a hurry, ha.
PS I hate to see those guys on "Life Below Zero" shoot offhand at game way at "what looks like on TV anyhow" hundreds of yards away. None of my business, really, I just don't like it personally.

Didn’t say you have to use a rest for a 50 yard shot but I will of one is available.
But we have people on this thread claiming offhand shots at 350 yards on purpose and shooting stuff out of the air with BB guns, come on now.

I've shot a lot of game off-hand but only as a last resort. If circumstances allow, I will seek any kind of stabilization tree, rock, sitting, whatever. I'm confident in my ability on deer sized game to 100 yards. Rifle, caliber or sights have no bearing on the decision.